Canes win at Cherokee; Colonels win third straight
Cartersville extended its regular season win streak to 52 games Friday night with a win at Class AAAAAAA Cherokee and Cass football improved to 3-1 for the first time since 2016. Adairsville dropped a back-and-forth nail-biter with Haralson County and Woodland lost at Paulding County.
CARTERSVILLE 28, CHEROKEE 7
Cartersville junior running back Quante’ Jennings (photo) had a pair of first half rushing touchdowns and Jadon Martin returned a Cherokee fumble 18 yards for a score as the Class AAAA No. 1-ranked Hurricanes grabbed a 21-0 lead in the first half. Jennings’ one-yard plunge gave Cartersville a 7-0 lead in the first quarter following the first of four PAT kicks by Oscar Hernandez. Jennings added a 12-yard touchdown run midway through the second quarter.
The fumble returned by Martin was created on a big hit by defensive back Marquail Coaxum after a Warriors’ pass completion.
Cherokee cut the Canes’ lead to 21-7 in the middle of the third quarter. The Warriors capped their drive with a one-yard dive by A.J. Swann. Cartersville’s final touchdown came later in the third quarter on a 65-yard pass from Tee Webb to Devonte Ross.
It was the first loss of the year for the Warriors who slipped to 4-1. The Canes continued a 52-game, regular-season winning streak and improved to 4-0. Cartersville will open Region 5-AAAA play Friday at Weinman Stadium against visiting Cedartown. The game will be broadcast on WBHF-Cartersville (100.3 FM / AM1450).
PHOTO: Randy Parker, The Daily Tribune News
CASS 17, VILLA RICA 14
Though most of the first half was a defensive struggle, Cass took a 10-0 lead to the intermission on a pair of second quarter scores. Kaleb Speights capped a Colonels’ 11-play, 46-yard drive with a 37-yard field goal with exactly 8:00 remaining in the period and fullback David Gbadie (photo v. FCHS, TCPics) swept right side out of a "wildcat, direct-snap" formation for a one-yard touchdown run with 1:16 left in the half. Speights added the PAT kick for a drive that went 76-yards on eight plays.
Villa Rica controlled field position for most of the third quarter as the two teams traded punts, but Tanayce Calhoun broke free for a 72-yard touchdown run with 4:32 left in the third quarter. The four-play drive covered 86 yards with Speights again converting the PAT.
Villa Rica’s dangerous tailback, Phillip Zachery, tore off runs of 32-yards, 17-yards, and 14-yards to set up the Wildcats first score. Quarterback Tristan Allen pushed the ball across on a one-yard keeper to make the score 17-7 following Jacob Antoine’s PAT kick. The drive covered 60 yards in six plays with 2:16 remaining in the third quarter. Following a Colonels’ three-and-out, Villa Rica made it 17-14 with 10 minutes left in the game. Allen connected on a 28-yard pass and Keenan Johnson raced around the left side for a 15-yard touchdown run for the big plays. The Wildcats’ scoring drive was 51-yards in five plays with a second Antoine kick.
Another Cass three-and-out gave Villa Rica the first of two final shots for the comeback. A strong defensive stand left the Wildcats with a missed 37-yard field goal and the Colonels’ offense took a little time off the clock with their next possession. A Cass punt left Villa Rica deep in their own territory with no timeouts. After picking up one first down, the Wildcats turned the ball over on downs after a fourth down pass was knocked down.
Cass quarterback Logan Nelson then took the victory formation snap twice and the Colonels had a 17-14 victory.
Villa Rica drops to 1-3 overall and 0-2 in Region 7-AAAAA. Cass (3-1, 2-0) has matched its best start since 2016 but will be severely challenged next week when they host Rome.
HARALSON COUNTY 13, ADAIRSVILLE 12
The visiting Rebels took a 7-3 lead into the intermission after a defensive struggle in the first half. Adairsville got a 42-yard field goal off the foot of Emmanuel Lopez to take a 3-0 advantage with 7:13 remaining in the first quarter and the score stayed that way until Haralson County scored on an 11-yard run by Clay Hyatt with 4:34 left in the half.
Adairsville took a 12-7 lead in the third quarter, scoring on a 29-yard field goal by Lopez and a 47-yard reverse play that resulted in a touchdown by TyShawn Savage. The Tigers’ PAT attempt following the touchdown failed leaving Adairsville with a 12-7 lead with 6:42 left in the third quarter.
Haralson’s Marc Harris gave the Rebels the lead with 1:56 left in the game on a 3-yard touchdown run. A bad snap caused the PAT to fail but Haralson County held a 13-12 lead. While Harris scored to cap the drive, it was Hyatt who rushed for 54 yards during the scoring drive on eight plays.
Adairsville got in position for a 43-yard field goal attempt with 0:38 remaining, but Haralson County partially blocked the attempt and held on for a 13-12 Region 6-AAA win.
Tigers’ quarterback Conner Crunkelton was 13-of-20 passing for 175 yards. He also rushed for 23 yards. Courtney Slocum made five catches for 66 yards. Savage had two receptions for 46 yards and Derrick Simmons caught two passes for 22 yards. Ja’Maury Johnson contributed 33 yards rushing on 11 attempts and Savage had the 47-yard scoring run.
Haralson County stays unbeaten at 3-0 and improves to 1-0 in region play. Adairsville (2-2, 1-1) travels to North Murray next Friday night for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.
PAULDING COUNTY 44, WOODLAND 21
Woodland lost for the third straight week after a season-opening win. This time falling at the Paulding County Patriots in a Region 7-AAAAA contest 44-21.
Demarcus Williams (photo) had touchdown runs of five, eight and 18 yards. He also ran for a two-point conversion for the Wildcats. Williams’ first score narrowed Paulding County’s lead to 16-8 after he also ran in the two-point conversion. His 18-yarder in the first minute of the fourth quarter made the score 37-14, and his eight yard scoring run came with just under four minutes remaining in the game to create the 44-21 final score.
The Patriots took a 3-0 lead early on a Matthew Frey 36-yard field goal. Brayden Mauldin then connected on a 25-yard touchdown pass to Frantzyr Chardoavione that gave Paulding County a 10-0 lead. Mauldin and Keishon Jackson connected on the first of two touchdown passes for a 16-0 lead. The first was an 80-yarder. They added a 48-yarder that put the Patriots ahead 23-8. Christian Rowe had touchdown runs from 20 and 13 yards in the second half and Smael Mondon added a four yard plunge for the Patriots.
Paulding County improved to 2-2 on the season and 1-1 in Region 7-AAAAA. The Patriots host Villa Rica next week. Woodland (1-3, 0-2) hosts Hiram this Friday for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.
The game will be broadcast via BartowSportsZone.com as the Johnny’s NY Style Pizza Bartow County Game of the Week.
